THE man at the helm of Cadbury Schweppes has issued a major vote of confidence in Bournville - pledging investment in the factory where 200 jobs are being cut.

THE man at the helm of Cadbury Schweppes has issued a major vote of confidence in Bournville - pledging investment in the factory where 200 jobs are being cut.

Todd Stitzer, chief executive of Bournville's parent group, told the CBI Manufacturing Dinner at the ICC that the factory lay at the "heart and history" of the world-famous chocolate maker.

Mr Stitzer's promise of continued investment in the plant signals Cadbury Schweppes' most significant pledge of public support since the group announced 200 job losses, with some production switched to Poland.

He told the CBI dinner that Bournville boasted "scale, critical mass and key skills in the workforce.

"It makes sense to continue investing in this heritage site. We should make sure that we never face a situation like we did in the summer of 2006 where our quality system failed us.

"Proposing to close our factory in the West Country and reducing our workforce in Bournville through what we hope will be voluntary redundancies are necessary steps to win a competitive market.

"We're the world's largest confectionery company but our largest confectionery business is in Britain.

"We're committed to maintaining a sustainable manufacturing base in Britain. It's good for business but also because our heart and history are here."